MAJOR QUAKE STRIKES IRAN-PAKISTAN BORDER

MAJOR QUAKE STRIKES IRAN-PAKISTAN BORDER
BY NASSER KARIMI
ASSOCIATED PRESS

Apr 16, 7:38 AM EDT



TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- A major earthquake struck Tuesday near the Iran-Pakistan border and shook buildings as far away as New Delhi and Gulf cities of Dubai and Bahrain. There were no immediate reports of injuries or serious damage.

The quake struck less than a week after a 6.1 magnitude quake hit near Bushehr, on Iran's Persian Gulf coast, killing at least 37 people and raising calls for greater international safety inspections at the country's long energy-producing nuclear reactor.

Iran's seismological center said the 7.5 magnitude earthquake was centered near Saravan, a sparsely populated area about 48 kilometers (26 miles) from the Pakistani border. The U.S. Geological Survey put the preliminary magnitude at 7.8 and at a depth of 15.2 kilometers (nine miles).

The quake was felt over a vast area from New Delhi to Gulf cities that have some of the world's tallest skyscrapers, including the record 828-meter (2,717 -foot) Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Officials ordered temporary evacuations from some high-rises as a precaution.

Pakistani news channels showed buildings shaking in the southern city of Karachi, where people in panic came out from offices and homes. There was no immediate word on any damage and people were seen standing outside their homes and offices even minutes after the quack rattled various parts of the country.

In 2003, some 26,000 people were killed by a 6.6 magnitude quake that flattened the historic southeastern Iranian city of Bam.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_IRAN_QUAKE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-04-16-07-38-06

Hundreds of dead expected after Iran quake - official



ANKARA | Tue Apr 16, 2013 5:13pm IST
(Reuters) - An Iranian government official said on Tuesday he expected hundreds of deaths from a major earthquake that struck Iran near the border with Pakistan.

"It was the biggest earthquake in Iran in 40 years and we are expecting hundreds of dead," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

(Reporting by Parisa Hafezi; Writing by Jonathon Burch; Editing by Janet Lawrence)

http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/04/16/iran-earthquake-casualties-idINDEE93F07M20130416